The Irish standard., 1887-02-26
N INTERESTING LETTER
From the :Venerated Archbishop Of Tuar
20 the Officers of the
Local Leaguers. 2
M'HALE's SUCCESSOR SPEAKS.
1.-THE Man Who Commits Crime
"
Gives Strength to the
Enemy. +

| LIS Mdu Nuu OOmul1tS OIIlt
Gives Strength to the
Enemy.
!!
Sir Thomas Esmonde, Colonel Nolan,
Nj. P.'s, and other Nationalists Of note
were the speakers at splendidly sue
cessful Home Rule demonstration that
occurred at Tuam, Galway. in the early
part of this month. The venerated
Archbishop, Most Rev. John McEvilly.
was unable to be present, but he penned
this letter to the officers of the local
laaguers Iamve]y / sorrY, indeed, that
l cannot attend your meeting or accept
the invitation to the banquet with
which you have honored me, in the
name Of the good people Of 1'uam. But
although may be unavoidably absent,
rest assured tina you have my sym
pathy, not the cheap, barren sympathy
of mere words. but you may calculate
on my firm resolve to assist you prac-
tically by every means within reach in
attaining the objects you have in view.
| These objects are in themselves good
and most necessary in the permanent
interests of civil society, morality and
religion in this country and the means
| you propose to yourselves of attaining
these objec will be, 1 am sure, us they
have hitherto been. thoroughly III ac-
cordance with the imrnutabie law of
God and justice. You ever keep in
mind the golden maxim Of the father Of
our Countrywide man who commits a
crime gives strength to the enemy"
Although at the present time the politi-
cal horizon is overcast, and it is difficult
10 conjecture what changes present
complications may bring forth in the
near future, one ching, however, is
quite clear, be the changes what they
may, that nothing short of the great OBJ
ject you have in view, to which every
other political object must be subordin
ate as means to an end. will ever satisfy
the just aspirations Of the peo-
pie Of this country. That object
upon which the minds Of ali
are firmly fixed is the restoration Oh
our native Legislature, the giving back
of that OF which we were robbed by
fraud, force, terror and corruption--in
other words, the granting Of Home
Rule as shadoWed forth in the bill Of
one of the greatest statesmen, and most
brilliant orator England ever produced.
tits hard to conceive how men, in every
other respect gifted with the highest in-
telligence, could oppose this act Of pub
lie justice and venture to insult the
public intellect by putting forward as
their plea OF justification the fear OF
separation. What grounds could there
be for fearing separation in our case
any more than in the case of almost dll
the colonies and dependencies which
Great Britain has entrusted with the
management Of their own affairs With
out fear of separation : Does not ex-
perieuce prove that she has thus bound
them more closely to herself in the
bonds of fealty? And in our case,
apart from the fact that no one in his
senses ever thinks OF separation. our
very proximity furnishes an additional
guarantee. In truth the concession OF
Home Rule would have one certain ef~
fect--that OF consolidating the union
between both nations, OF breaking
down the middle wall Of PARTITION"
thus creating peace and goodwill be-
tween two peoples who, owing to in
Justice. and national hate on the one
hand, and a natural feeling OF resent
ment on the other, are in feeling and
sentiment as wide asunder as the poles
To this object should be referred as its
legitimate end the equitable settlement
on a fair and just basis of the land ques-
ton. 1t is not for sheep OF oxen. after
the country is depleted of its inhabi-
tants through the operation Of unjust
land laws, that Home Rnle is wanted
If this vital question Of the land were
once equitably settled We would have
people so far contented and advanced
in intelligence as to be able and willing
to carry out fully into practical effect
the long desired blessing Of Home Rule.
But here we are met at the very outset
with the spacious objection, are not
contracts to be kept ? Do away with
the binding force of contracts, will not
society totter to its very foundation, es-
peciaIly when such contracts are sane
toned by the high authority Of the
state? Certainly, if there be question
of just or valid contracts. But were
the contracts, or rather arrangements,
entered into in this country between
the great bulk of landlords and tenants
no doubt there were many horrible
exceptions-valid contracts? ! unhesi-
tatingly assert they were not. What is
the first and essential element Of valid
contract in general Is it not that it
be free? Was one Of the contracting